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Carlos Ghosn asks why Japanese don't question him in Lebanon

BEIRUT — Former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said in an interview aired Monday that French investigators are coming to question him in Lebanon over some legal challenges in France, asking why don't the Japanese do the same thing. GhosnÂ’s comments came two weeks after a Lebanese justice ministry official said a team of French investigators will come to Beirut in January to participate in interrogating the former auto executive. Ghosn, who is a Lebanese, Brazilian and French national, fled Japan in a dramatic escape that drew headlines in late 2019, arriving in Lebanon on Dec. 30 of that year. In addition to his trial in Japan, the 66-year-old businessman is facing a number of legal challenges in France, including tax evasion and alleged money laundering, fraud and misuse of company assets while at the helm of the Renault-Nissan alliance. Ghosn said there is neutrality in Lebanon, where he has been living since fleeing Japan, adding that Lebanese authorities have asked Japanese officials to send the charges against him but Tokyo did not. “What does that mean?” asked Ghosn insisting that he is innocent and was the victim of JapanÂ’s judicial system. “Now the French have charges,” Ghosn said. “They (French) are coming and they will question me. The Japanese are not doing this.” “I consider all the charges to be false,” Ghosn said. After leading the Japanese automaker Nissan for two decades, Ghosn was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on charges of breach of trust, misusing company assets for personal gains and violating securities laws by not fully disclosing his compensation. He denied wrongdoing and fled Japan while out on bail awaiting trial. He is unlikely to be extradited from Lebanon, where he has been since last year. Ghosn said in the interview with the local LBC TV that Lebanon, which is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history, “proved that it protects it citizens.” He added: “I am a French citizen, and the French state did not defend me.” At least two Ghosn-related investigations were opened in France. One focused on suspicious transactions between Renault and a distributor in Oman, as well as suspected payments for private trips and events paid by Renault-NissanÂ’s Netherlands-based holding company RNBV. Another investigation focused on suspected misuse of company funds for a party for Ghosn at Versailles.

Is a Nissan Leaf with a 250-mile range less than three years off?

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has never shied away from bold proclamations. Most recently, he implied that an electric vehicle with a single-charge range comparable to that of a gas-powered vehicle on a full tank may be fewer than three years out. We'd love to see it. Indeed, Ghosn said that such a car may be around in the "near future," Hybrid Cars said, citing a presentation Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn made to shareholders earlier this week. He also showed a video of a Nissan Leaf in Japan, which appears to start out on a trip with 417 km (259 miles) of range available. The 2015 Leaf's single-charge range is rated at 84 miles in the US. How to get another 120 miles or so? Ghosn's talking about a still-lighter vehicle as well as cheaper batteries and improved battery chemistry. He also alluded to shorter recharging times. Last month, word got out that Nissan was working on a top-of-the-line Leaf that, as soon as this fall, would include a 30-kilowatt-hour battery, up from the standard 24-kWh version. Such a variant, which would be launched ahead of the next-generation Leaf slated for as soon as 2017, could boost the Leaf's single-charge range to as far as 105 miles. Related Videos: Featured Gallery 2013 Nissan Leaf View 55 Photos News Source: Hybrid Cars Green Nissan Hatchback Electric single-charge range

Nissan Xterra discontinued after 2015

Another great big subtraction in the choice of proper off-roaders comes with news from Edmunds that the Nissan Xterra will meet its maker after the 2015 model year. Sales of the body-on-frame SUV introduced in 1999 declined seven percent last year compared to 2013, a total of just 16,505 getting off dealer lots. That's about 1,800 more sales than the Toyota FJ Cruiser achieved for the year, another rugged trail runner recently dispatched into the ether. Meanwhile, the king-of-the-hill Jeep Wrangler almost matched those annual sales number each month in 2014; it moved 19,235 in May alone. Nissan hasn't exactly cared about the Xterra for years; Edmunds reported in 2013 that Nissan was "mulling the Xterra's future" and would take a year to decide if it was going to keep going. But it has been clear for years that the company wasn't too interested in its hardcore off-roader in spite of its "enthusiastic fan base inside and outside the company." The last visible refresh came in 2009, when it was 4Wheeler magazine's SUV of the Year, the next minor feature updates not arriving until 2014. And the Nissan-backed off-road triathlon series the Xterra was named for died in 2006. That's why there's no business case for throwing money at re-engineering the Xterra's safety and emissions specs, especially in a world gone crazy for subcompact crossovers. We contacted Nissan for comment on the report and asked if another Nissan vehicle, like the Rogue, would be positioned as a near-replacement, as has been speculated before. Product communications director Dan Bedore told us, "Nissan has made no announcement as to the future status of Xterra. For proprietary reasons, we do not discuss future product plans or comment on media speculation about future plans." Right now we can hear the Jeep Wrangler at the top of the mountain screaming, "Nobody wants a piece of this? Really?!" So come on, General Motors - it's up to you now.